|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
I was born in the last year of President Buhari’s first stint in power – a feat achieved by toppling a democratically elected government. That year was 1985. Although, I was too young to have a firsthand memory of his wheelings and dealings in power, I have come to learn that his ‘reign’ – albeit short-lived – was marked by brute enforcement of discipline, infamously referred to as “War Against Indiscipline.” Then, people who failed to queue up, littered the streets, amongst other minor misdemeanours, where manhandled by military officers. This programme has just been reintroduced by Mr. Buhari. Why did Nigerians go back to their old ways after he was thrown out of office in August 1985? My simple answer is this: rescuing Nigeria from the long arms of corruption requires a sustained and multidimensional approach that goes beyond mere trial and incarceration of those involved in grand theft. Also, the question remains, can this initiative could still instil the same level of fear that it did in the past? I very much doubt so! Democracy is well and thriving in Nigeria; and social media has also become a powerful tool that can help unseat the government.
As a student of history, I have done a bit of research to understand what has changed in the country since 1985. Truth be told, not very much. The core fundamentals of the socio-economic and political frameworks of the country have only shifted a little bit. Do not get me wrong, Nigeria has made considerable gains over the years in some aspects of its national life, but it very much remains an ineffectual and toothless heavyweight. These successes have earned the country the sobriquets “Africa’s largest democracy” and “Africa’s largest economy.” In spite of this, the latest data released by the World Bank in its 2017 Ease of Doing Business report shows Nigeria ranks a distant 169 out of 190 countries. This is way below Rwanda, Botswana, South Africa and Kenya ranking 56th, 71st, 74th and 92nd, respectively. In terms of corruption, it runs so rampant across all facets of our everyday life. We have been consistently classified as being so corrupt, so much so that the former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, described Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt” in a conversation with the Queen. And our President agrees, too. Then tell me what has changed?
Does history have a way of repeating itself? In the mid 1980s, Nigerians were made to stand in endless queues to purchase “essential commodities” to feed themselves and their families. There was soaring inflation, free fall of the local currency, crackdown on perceived corrupt officials, ballooning unemployment, and flight of investors. These issues still very much have a pervasive presence in our society today, most of which are blamed on the drop in oil prices. This is not entirely President Buhari’s fault, as previous regimes have all displayed inaction and lack of sufficient vision in managing the nation’s resources.
In fact, the much touted diversification of the economy is not a particularly new phenomenon. It can only be realized with the right mix of policies and political will, coupled with strong institutions that would guarantee unflappable confidence and return on investments. Norway is a country of only 5 million people that has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund worth over $800 billion dollars. It has invested its oil revenues wisely, while ours has been squandered by a few individuals. This sort of fund is meant to act as buffer against oil price volatility and also generate profits for the entire nation. Today, our dwindling external reserves is somewhere between $ 24 – $ 25 billion dollars.
Mr. President’s election heralded a new dawn in Nigeria’s chequered political history, the first time an incumbent President was shown the exit door through the ballot box. I welcomed this development because of what it portends for our democracy. At least, politicians can now be somewhat held accountable, if they perform below par.
The President coasted to victory in the May 2015 election, vowing to fight corruption. Over a year has passed, and not even one single individual has been thrown behind bars for corruption. Some members of his cabinet have been embroiled in widespread allegations of corruption as well. I am indeed perplexed at his unusual taciturnity about this. What seems to be clogging the wheels of justice? Is it the justices currently accused of corruption? Admittedly, the administration has been praised by Nigerians for recovering billions from those who looted the nation dry, alas, the economy is still bleeding. In addition, foreign investors have since taken a stand-offish approach, until the government maps out a strategy to resuscitate the ailing economy.
With the country’s economy dangerously hanging on a precipice, the time to act is now. It is time to quit blaming the past administration for all the ills plaguing Nigeria. Mr. President must quickly constitute an independent economic advisory team that is truly bi-partisan, regardless of ethnicity, religion and gender. We are not lacking in legislations to tackle corruption; they abound. Rather, political actors, particularly the President, must give teeth to existing laws, recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to corruption.
But tell me: who will bell the cat? It is indeed a brilliant age-old question begging for answers.
AWELE OGUEJIOFOR
